third PROMOTIONAL WORKSHOP OF DIVERSiFY ORGANIZED IN verona-italy

The past 22 th of February, DIVERSIFY was present at the facilities of API (Association of Aquaproducers of Italy) in Verona (Italy) with the 3rd Promotional Workshop of the project. Fish producers, aquafeed companies, Universities and administration representatives were part of the audience. The event started with an update of the project achievements in all the research areas, presented by the Dissemination leader. Five more presentations provided the background for the following debate. Among the presentations, the director of API, Andrea Fabris, gave an overview of the aquaculture production in Italy. During the debate, production costs and marketing of Diversify species were important discussion points. Consumer attitudes towards aquaculture products and the culture of carnivorous/herbivorous species as well as the use of fish meal in aquafeeds, generated fruitful discussions.Next Diversify Species Workshops were presented to the audience, who was very interested to attend the Seminars related to greater amberjack, meagre and grey mullet. We ended the workshop with a degustation in situ, of a delicious canned meagre paté prepared by IRTA (new fish products developed within the DIVERSIFY project). Smoked and canned sturgeon provided by API members were also tasted in this occasion.

advances on GREATER AMBERJACK, WRECKFISH AND MEAGRE research

A short interview from each of the species leader for greater amberjack (Dr. Nikos Papandroulakis, HCMR, Greece), wreckfish (Dr. Blanca Alvarez, IEO, Spain) and meagre (Dr. Alicia Estevez, IRTA, Spain) summarize the main results of the experiments and trials done with each species. Click on the play to hear the interview

diversify pikeperch work presented at VIII Fishing and Angling Professional Conference, 1 February, in Gödöllő, Hungary

Diversify partner Dr. Pascal Fontaine has addressed the pikeperch research done within the DIVERSIFY project during the event organized in Hungary. 180 participants attended the meeting from which 95% were fish farmers. For more information on the event you can contact Dr. Pascal Fontaine by email (click on his name).

diversify 2018 annual coordination meeting on 23-25 January 2018

The Annual Coordination Meeting for 2018 was completed last week, at University of La Laguna and at the facilities of IEO (Tenerife, Spain). The meeting was attended by 79 persons. In the next few days, the presentations from the meeting will be uploaded in the web site, in the INTRA/Meetings & Activities page. ​​

All DIVERSIFY ORAL PRESENTATIONS are AVAILABLE!! CLICK ON THE TITLE IN THE LIST BELOW

​As for Aquaculture Europe 2015 in Rotterdam, DIVERSIFY had a full-day Special Session at the recent AQUACULTURE EUROPE 2017 conference in Dubrovnik (Croatia) between 17-20 October 2017. The session was chaired by the Dissemination leader (Dr. Rocio Robles) and the Project Coordinator (Dr. Constantinos C. Mylonas). Presentations with the latest results of the project in all Research Areas were given by the a number of project partners. All Presentations in pdf format are available by clicking on the title in the list below.

Last Thursday, 28th of September, it was organized at the factilities of CTAQUA, the 2nd Promotional Workshop of the project DIVERSIFY. Fish producer, processors, retailers and administration representatives were part of the audience. The event started with an update of the project achiviements in all the research areas, presented by the Dissemination leader. Five more presentations provided the background for the following debate on how to improve the image of aquaculture products and the consumer attitude towards them. Sanitary regulatory issues related to the fisheries and aquaculture products were also discussed. The final part of the Workshop consisted in a degustation in situ, of two new fish products developed within the DIVERSIFY project: grey mullet filet preserved in olive oil (prepared by CTAQUA) and pikeperch paté (prepared by IRTA).

DIVERSIFY RESULTS PRESENTED AT THE WORLD AQUACULTURE MEETING HELD IN CAPE TOWN (SOUTH AFRICA)

Last June 26-30 with the ocasion of the World Aquaculture Society meeting celebrated in Cape Town (South-Africa), ​Dr.Karl André from Instituto de Recerca y Tecnologia Agroalimentarias (IRTA, Spain) gave an interesting presentation about the project and the latest results on the "Gene expression analysis of antimicrobial peptides during larval rearing and grow-out of meagre (Argyrosomus regius)". The co-authors of this work were Dr.Cindy Campoverde, Dr. Alicia Estévez also from IRTA and Dr. Douglas Milne and Prof. Christopher Secombes from University of Aberdeen, Scotland. If you are interested to know more, please contact the authors directly by clicking on Dr. André's name.

FIRST PROMOTIONAL WORKSHOP OF DIVERSIFY CELEBRATED IN BREMEN (GERMANY)

The past 24th of May, it was held in the Business Lounge (Hall 7, 1st floor), Theodor-Heuss-Strassein Bremen (Germany) the 1st. Promotional Workshop of the project DIVERSIFY. The objective of the workshop was to promote the DIVERSIFY activities mainly in the Socioeconomic Research Area and with focus on specific audience, such as fish processors (very important sector in Germany), retailers, consumers organizations etc. Thanks to our local DIVERSIFY partner, Matthias Keller from BVFi, relevant speakers from professional associations and consumer’s organizations were invited to the workshop. A morning session with six presentations provided a perfect ground for an intense and constructive debate on marketing, commercialization and consumer related issues concerning seafood products. The final part of the Workshop consisted in a degustation in situ, of two new fish products developed within the DIVERSIFY project: grey mullet filet preserved in olive oil (prepared by CTAQUA) and pikeperch paté (prepared by IRTA).You can have access to the presentations by cliking on their title:* Presentation of the project DIVERSIFY. Rocio Robles, Dissemination leader. Technical Director, CTAQUA, Spain.

The 3-day Annual Coordination Meeting (ACM) for 2017 was held in the beautiful Palau Macaya and the Campus del Mar of the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. During the first 2 days there were a large number of presentations on specific tasks carried out during the last years of the project. The presentations of the ACM 2017 are available for the public and can bee found in the INTRA-meetings page of this website.

FEATURED ARTICLE ABOUT DIVERSIFY IN AQUAFEED INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

A featured article about DIVERSIFY work and results have been published in the last issue of the magazine Aquafeed International. The magazine also includes an article on "Consumers' perceptionof new fish products".

NEW DIVERSIFY VIDEO: MAJOR RESULTS FROM 3 YEARS OF WORK

DIVERSIFY AT EUROTIER 2016

A presentation on the DIVERSIFY project has been delivered at EuroTier, Hannover, Germany (www.eurotier.com), by Dissemination leader Rocio Robles (CTAQUA) on November 17th. EuroTier, is one of the world’s leading trade shows for animal husbandry and livestock management. It attracts exhibitors from all over the world to present their innovations for cattle, pig and poultry farming as well as in aquaculture. The presentation opened a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Matthias Keller (BVFi), DIVERSIFY partner, with the participation of Mr. Jürgen Pauly (GLOBUS), Mr. Bent Urup (Sashimi Royal), Mr. Javier Ojeda (APROMAR), also DIVERSIFY partner and Dr. Robles. The discussion was followed by a lively “International FishTalk” and a friendly “FishParty”.

Consumers’ perception of new fish products from new aquaculture species

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​Consumers are the last step in the production chain and those who ultimately decide on the success or failure of a new product launched into the market. It is therefore essential to understand the factors affecting consumer behaviour and the key aspects driving decision-making and product purchasing. Sensory properties have been identified as one of the main determinants of food selection and consumption. Read the full article from the DIVERSIFY Socioeconomic team here.

great success of diversify at ae 2016 in edinburgh.

​DIVERSIFY project was well represented at the recent Aquaculture Europe 2016 held in Edinburgh, Scotland during the past 20 to 23 of September. The conference featured a scientific conference, an international trade event, special sessions for aquaculture producers and satellite workshops. The session on “Diversification in finfish aquaculture” took place on Thursday, September 22, from 10:30 to 12:50 h at the Carrick conference room. The session was chaired by the Dissemination leader of DIVERSIFY, Rocio Robles, who presented the most relevant results of the Research Areas of the project. DIVERSIFY talk attracted quite some audience, completing the capacity of the Carrick room. The session comprised four oral presentations of the DIVERSIFY project and 12 posters. For the next 2017 Aquaculture Europe meeting, “Cooperation for growth” to be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, our project will have a dedicated session day.

three new scientific publications from diversify RESEARCHERS:

Relevant results in the field of reproduction control of meagre have been published in the article included in the Aquculture issue 464, "Enhancement of oogenesis/spermatogenesis in meagre Argyrosomus regius using a combination of temperature control andGnRHa treatments", from Constantinos C. Mylonas, Sara Salone, Tommaso Biglino, Paulo H. de Mello, Ioannis Fakriadis, Irini Sigelaki and Neil Duncan. Click here to contact the author.Also relevants and very interesting are the results from the work performed in the socioeconomical research area of the project. Two articles have just been published in Food Research International "Consumers as co-creator of new product ideas: an application of projective and creative research techniques", authored by Marija Banović, Athanasios Krystallis, Luis Guerrero and Machiel J. Reinders (click here to contact the author), and a second article from the same team, "Consumer perceptions of farmed fish: A cross-national segmentation in five European countries " to be published in the British Food Journal. Click here to contact the author.

video summary of the annual coordination meeting of diversify held at the university of lorraine (nancy, france).

The 6th Offshore Mariculture Conference, an international two-day conference focused on the offshore fish farming business, has been held in Barcelona, Spain on 6-8 April 2016. The conference has gathered fish farmers and aquaculture industry members with the aim to grow their offshore fish farming businesses.Dr. C.Mylonas, DIVERSIFY project coordinator at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research attended and presented the project and its main outcomes after two years of research out of its five years duration. Progress has been made in all the research areas of the project: genetics and reproduction; nutritional management; larval and grow-out husbandry; and fish health. Besides the technical improvement of the selected species, the socio-economic research in DIVERSIFY includes solutions on perception of aquaculture products, market demand, buyer preferences, new product development, value adding and market development. These outcomes will help the EU aquaculture sector and the supply industry in targeted marketing and improvement of its international competitive position. Click here to view the presentation

New article on the progress of DIVERSIFY in the research with greateramberjack (Seriola dumerili), published in the magazine of the European Aquaculture Society "Aquaculture Europe", Vol 41(1), March 2016.

INTERVIEW WITH DR. MYLONAS, DIVERSIFY PROJECT COORDINATOR

diversify presented at the aquaculture round table in germany

The Ministry of Fisheries of Germany has organized a Round Table on Aquaculture on 15th July 2015. DIVERSIFY project has been presented during the meeting that was held in Bonn, by partner BVFi (Bundesverband der Deutschen Fischindustrie und des Fischgrosshandels E.V.). Audience of the meeting included gubernamental representatives, policy makers, fish and aquaculture processing industry members and media representatives. Dr. Matthias Keller introduced DIVERSIFY and presented the most relevant results of the project after one year, with special emphasis on the work packages related to the socioeconomical dimension of DIVERSIFY. Results obtained from WP28 related to consumer perception of aquaculture products were presented at the meeting. ﻿See more﻿

broodstock evaluation of greater amberjack at ieo in tenerife, spain.

Last month of May, several broodstock specimens of
greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) born in captivity at the Instituto
Español de Oceanografia in Tenerife (Canary Island, Spain), were examined in
order to evaluate their reproductive condition.

DIVERSIFY INCLUDED IN THE DUTCH MAGAZINE AQUACULTUUR:FISH INNOVATORS: EUROPEAN CONSUMERS WITH AN INTEREST IN FARMED FISH

﻿Fish is good for you. Most consumers do not question this. But the health benefits of fish do not always tempt people to buy it. Not enough European consumers are following the dietary recommendations to eat more fish. The nutritional value of the product is, of course, an asset to be cherished, but it does not induce consumers to eat more of it. The answer might lie in product innovation. ‘DIVERSIFY’ is looking for innovative ideas to supplement nutritional value as a ‘classic’ core quality of fish and to make fish more appealing to today’s consumer. Read more

DIVERSIFY NEWSLETTER-3 2015.

DIVERSIFY AT THE eatip conference in brussels

Last week, during 28 and 29 April 2015, the European
Aquaculture Technological and innovation Platform (EATiP), has celebrated its
annual general meeting (AGM) in the hotel NH Grand Sablon, Brussels.During the meeting, several important EU projects have been
presented, related to 'technical textiles for large scale seaweed growth', 'the
advancement and enhancement of algae', 'the potential for insect proteins' and
our project DIVERSIFY.Our coordinator, Dr. Mylonas gave an overview of the project’s
objectives, explained the rationale behind the species selection for the
project, as well as provided a resume of the major achievements after the first
year of the project. The works of the first year have focused on the
optimization of reproduction and larviculture protocols for meagre (Argyrosomus
regius), great amberjack (Seriola dumerili) and grey mullet (Mugil cephalus). In the case of
meagre, trials have proven that paired spawning of high quality eggs is
possible and could be used in breeding selection programs.Concerning the work done in the Socioeconomic area of the project, some interesting results from an on-line consumer survey have shown that, in general, consumers' knowledge of the main characteristics and advantages of farmed fish seems to be rather low. The results obtained in the study indicated that effective information strategies about farmed fish and production systems are very needed in order to improve its image and increase acceptance.

ADVANCES IN MEAGRE (Argyrosomus regius) RESEARCH DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF THE PROJECT "DIVERSIFY"

Antonio Vilar, from the Aquarium of Finisterrae (P32. MC2) was interviewed yesterday by "La opinión" (Galicia, Spain). They talked about DIVERSIFY project main objectives and how the Aquarium of Finisterrae is involved in reproduction & Genetics of Wreckfish and Wreckfish larval husbandry. The Aquarium has a big sotck of this species and interesting progress were achieved in such disciplines in 2014 by DIVERSIFY team. "I think that at the end of 2018, whith the conclusion of DIVERSIFY project, wreckfish will be ready to be at the market" he said.

wreckfish sampling - Ull, Feb 2015

On February 2015, researchers from the University of La Laguna (Tenerife), conducted a sampling of two specimens of wreckfish (Polyprion americanus) at the dependencies of Makro in La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain). These two mature male specimens of 27 and 28 Kg weight, were caught from the coast of the Canary Islands by longline art. The specimens were filleted, obtaining about 32 kg of meat that were packaged under vacuum for shipment to the IRTA (Tarragona) and HCMR (Greece) where it will undergo a sensory analysis. The University of La Laguna took samples of muscle, gonad and liver and somatometric measures relevant to the planned studies in diverse areas of main disciplines of DIVERSIFY project (socioeconomic, reproduction, nutrition, etc.).

MEAGRE WORK IRTA 2014

A summary of the work carried out on meagre at IRTA facilities in Spain is available on youtube. Click here

diversify first year summary

To see a summary of the first year of Diversify, click here

PARTICIPATION OF DIVERSIFY AT THE REGIONAL AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE-2014

An international conference organized by the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM/FAO), the European Commission and the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies took place in Bari (Italy) on December 9-11. The objective of the conference was to review the progress made by aquaculture in the Mediterranean region and to address the main governance, economic, social and environmental challenges for the aquaculture sustainable development.

Professor Aldo Corriero (University of Bari A;do Moro) accompanied by Mr Javier Ojeda (APROMAR) offered a presentation to the plenary detailing the objectives and activities of the DIVERSIFY project which attracted great attention and interest from the audience. More information about the project was available in a booth at the conference’s exposition area during the 3-day conference.

Annual Coordination Meeting 2014

The Annual Coordination Meeting for 2014 was completed last week, at the Palazzo Ateneo of the University of Bari Aldo Moro, hosted by Dr. Aldo Corriero.

The meeting was attended by 73 persons, including 7 invited guests from outside the consortium. The Agenda consisted of a common session for all participants during DAY 1 (including invited guests from outside the consortium), then 6 Workshop Sessions running in parallel during DAY 2, and finally during DAY 3 a common session dealing with Dissemination, Reporting and Financial Reporting. In DAY 3 there was also a meeting of the Steering Committee.

In the next few days, the presentations from the meeting will be uploaded in the web site, in the INTRA/Meetings & Activities page. In the photo on the left, the attendants of the meeting were photographed at the grand staircase of Palazzo Ateneo, with the Rector of the University of Bari Aldo Moro.

Two presentations from DIVERSIFY were given at the 2014 conference of the European Aquaculture Society. An oral presentation authored by C.C. Mylonas and R. Robles was presented in the Diversification Session in the morning of Wednesday 14th October. In the same session, a poster presentation was authored by J. L. Rodriguez, J.B. Peleteiro and F. Linares. Both presentations and their abstracts can be viewed in the "DISSEMINATION-Posters & Presentations" section of this website.

How to train greater amberjack to feed on commercial extruded feeds (protocol)

Transfer of greater amberjack fingerlings from the AQUALABS to the Agios Kosmas facilities of HCMR for nutrition studies.After the successful spawning induction and larval rearing of greater amberjack that was performed in collaboration with the Greek national Programme "KRIPIS" at the facilities of the Hellenic Center of Marine Research (HCMR) in Crete, a group of fingerlings were transferred on the 16th September 2014, to the HCMR facilities of Agios Kosmas, Athens, in order to begin the experiments on the nutritional requirements of the species. The fish are now about 10 g in body weight and they will be used in studies examining the nutrient requirements of the species.

During spring 2014, several sperm samplings have been organized by Dr Christian Fauvel, IFREMER, France, in order to qualify and perform first trials for successful transport and storage. Samples for sperm quality assessment were taken from 6 wreckfish males from la Coruña Aquarium, 2 males from Luso Hispanica Aquicultura (LHA) and 2 males from the Vigo facilities of the Instituto Español de Oceanografia (IEO), all situated in Galicia (Spain).The mean concentration of wreckfish sperm was 250 billion of spermatozoa per ml. Only fresh sperm of the Vigo broodstock could be correctly assessed for motility, since gametes from the other sites were transported in suboptimal conditions of conservation before lab analyses. Sperm did not start moving after 24h raw storage, but exhibited motility if diluted at collection in different storage media, although lower speed and lower motility duration were recorded compared to fresh sperm. It was concluded that conditions of sperm storage and transportation must be improved if male and female gamete collection must occur in separate locations or different times. For this, storage media and temperature of preservation have to be adapted to this species in further experiments.

Concerning meagre, between May 12th and 17th, the French private company ”Les Poissons Du Soleil” kindly offered us the opportunity to collect sperm from 2 broodstocks of meagre with 2 objectives:1) to get first analytical data about meagre sperm in order to prepare next year's investigations, 2) to train our Israeli partner of IOLR (Dr Iris Meiri Ashkhenazi), in order to prepare the characterization of grey mullet sperm during the next reproductive season (October) using the same tools as those developed for wreckfish, meagre and later, amberjack. The mean concentration of semen of fish at the peak of the reproductive season was 45 billion spermatozoa per ml, whereas a significant decrease was observed for those at the end of season (males from shifted broodstock) showing only 30 billion spermatozoa per ml. The initial velocity was 130 µm per sec, decreasing rapidly to 0 after 50 sec. As a preliminary conclusion, meagre sperm roughly behaves as European sea bass sperm. Moreover, diluents formulated for chilled storage of European sea bass sperm were very efficient in sustaining meagre sperm motility for at least 24h. These preliminary results are very promising for the development of artificial fertilization in meagre, planned for the next years.

Collection of greater amberjack eggs from sea cages, after hormonal induction of spawning

On Wednesday 25 June 2014, the first spawned eggs from greater amberjack were obtained from the Souda Bay, Sea cage facilities of the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR). The cage contained a broodstock of 3 females and 7 males, which were induced to mature and spawn 2 days earlier, using GnRHa implants (see previous announcement below). A total of 500,000 eggs (~70% fertilization success) were collected from the cage by 10:00 am, and were packaged and shipped to the Aqualabs facilities of HCMR, where they were stocked in various tanks, in order to begin the implementation of the WP15 Larval husbandry - greater amberjack and WP25 Fish health - greater amberjack.

In addition, eggs were collected on Friday 27 and Saturday 28, 2014, from a collaborating commercial facility in Greece (Galaxidi Marine Farms, S.A.), from a cage containing a total of 23 mature created amberjack (11 females and 12 males). The fish were also induced to mature and spawn on Thursday 26 June 2014, using GnRHa implants (see previous announcement below). A small quantity of eggs (15,000, ~99% fertilization success) was obtained on 27 June 2014, produced by a single female that was at a very advanced stage of maturation (Germinal Vesicle Breakdown) at the time of the GnRHa treatment. Another batch of 400,000 eggs (~95% fertilization success) were collected from the cage the next day. We expect that more eggs will be produced in the coming days.

Spawning induction of greater amberjack and collection of eggs from sea cages

The first spawning induction trials were carried out on 23 June 2014, at the Souda Bay, Sea cage facilities of the Hellenic Center for Marine Research. Eleven mature greater amberjack brood stock were maintained in a 40 m perimeter, 10 meter deep cage in the western part of Crete, Greece. Part of the stock was maintained there for several years, and another part was transferred there at the beginning of April. All fish examined for stage of maturation using gonadal biopsy, and upon verification of the appropriate stage of maturation, they were treated with controlled release delivery implants loaded with GnRHa, to induce maturation, ovulation and spawning.

The males (n=7) were in spermiation, though no sperm could be collected with abdominal pressure, due to the thick musculature of the abdominal cavity. Sperm samples were collected with a catheter and the sperm was evaluated under the microscope, exhibiting 40-100% motility upon activation with sea water. The females (n=3) were in post vitellogenesis, with oocytes exhibiting the early stages of oocyte maturation (lipid droplet coalescence).

A passive egg collector was placed in the perimeter of the cages, and in the following days the cage will be monitored for spawning. The collected eggs will be transported to the HCMR facilities in Iraklion, Crete to be used for the larval rearing experiments.

Sampling campaign of wild greater amberjack

Blood, brains, pituitaries, gonads, muscle, liver, otoliths and vertebrae have be sampled on 31 May 2014 from a first batch of wild adult amberjack caught in Lampedusa (Italy) from a commercial fishing vessel. The sampling will continue during June-July 2014 and will be completed during the reproductive season 2015. The collected samples will be used for a detailed study of the reproductive cycle of wild greater amberjack. The reproductive activity of wild greater amberjack will be compared with that of reared individuals in order to identify possible dysfunction occurring in captivity. Proliferation and apoptosis of germ cells during spermatogenesis will be examined. Sperm characteristics will be analysed using a computerised system (CASA). A comparison of liver vitellogenin (Vg) and ovary Vg receptor (VgR) gene expression between captive and wild females will be assessed by cDNA sequencing and real time-PCR (qPCR); an analysis of oocyte yolk accumulation will be performed on histological sections using image analysis. Measurement of the sex steroid hormones T, E2, 11-KT and 17,20β DHP will be done using ELISAs and the expression of LH and FSH, as well as their plasma protein levels will be measured (IOLR). An ELISA for measuring leptin (IOLR), a key metabolic hormone known to interact with the endocrine system to provide critical information about the nutritional status will be developed. The nutritional status of wild and captive-reared fish will be compared (ULL).

Progress with meagre reproduction experiments The experiments to induce paired spawning of meagre were initiated in IRTA, Spain on 7 April 2014. Six pairs of breeders were selected based on oocyte diameter and presence of motile sperm. Each pair was induced with a single injection of GnRHa; 15 µg/kg body weight for females and 7.5 µg/kg body weight for males. The pairs of breeders were then placed into separate tanks and allowed to spawn. According to the work planned in WP 6 Reproduction & Genetics – meagre, the selected breeders were induced to spawn every 7-9 days. Before each spawning induction the maturity of the breeders was determined and the males were transferred to a different tank in order to be cross bred with a different female. To date a total of 37 spawns have been collected that represent offspring from 19 different families. Egg quality has been variable, but generally good with fertilisation rates of 85±15% and many spawns of over a million eggs. Many of the pairs of breeders have spawned successfully to demonstrate that paired spawning is an approach that must be considered for the production of families for a genetic selection program. The larvae produced are being used for experiments in WP 14 Larval Husbandry - meagre and WP 20 Grow Out Husbandry - meagre.

Beginning of wreck fish reproduction experiments

The experiments to induce spawning of wreck fish were initiated in Spain and Greece. At the HCMR facilities in Crete, Greece on 12 May 2014 a pair of wreck fish breeders were evaluated for reproductive conditions and were treated with GnRHa implants to induce maturation and spawning. At this stage, the females was in full vitellogenesis, while the male was spermiating very well. The fish were placed in a 35 m3 tank and were allowed to spawn spontaneously, according to the work planned in WP 6 Reproduction & Genetics - wreckfish.

Two spawns of a small number of eggs of very low fertilization success were obtained so far. On 20 May 2014, the pair of breeders was evaluated again (blood hormones, gonadal biopsies) and was treated again with GnRHa and was returned to the spawning tank. At this stage the female contained post-ovulated eggs (remnants of the previous ovulations) as well as oocytes in oocyte maturation (1550 µm in diameter). Spawning will be monitored in the following days hoping to obtain viable eggs for larval rearing.

Meanwhile in Spain, spontaneous spawning has been obtained from a group of breeders without any hormonal treatment. Eggs have been forwarded to larval rearing sites for the experiments in GWP 4 Larval husbandry.

On 13 May 2014, the newly acquired stock of wild greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) at the Argosaronikos A.E. facilities in Salamina Island, Greece was examined in order to evaluate its reproductive maturity and stage of reproductive development. This stock was acquired from another farm in September 2013 (Asteras A.E., Astakos, Greece) and was originally captured from the wild at the juvenile stage. The stock consists of 60 individuals and will be used to examine the feasibility of inducing spawning and collecting eggs from sea cages within the work planned for WP3 Reproduction & Genetics - greater amberjack.

A total of 30 individuals were examined (biopsied and P.I.T. tagged) raining in size between 7 and 14 kg. Sixteen fish were identified as females ranging from immature to fully vitellogenic fish and 14 fish were spermiating males. Sperm was collected via a canula, since the muscular nature of the abdominal cavity walls did not allow manual stripping. The sperm was examined under a microscope and was found to be of good motility. The stock will be examined again in the middle of June in order to induce spawning and attempt to collect eggs from the sea cages.

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Transport of 30 greater amberjack breeders to HCMR, Crete, Greece

On 10 April 2014, greater amberjack breeders (31 individuals) were transported to the facilities of HCMR in Crete. The fish ranged in body weight between 7.5 and 17.1 Kg and most of them are expected to be mature this coming reproductive season. Twenty-one of the fish were placed in tanks at the AQUALABS facilities, but 8 breeders will be moved to the cage facilities of HCMR in Souda Bay, Crete. The breeders will be used for the experiments planned in WP 3 Reproduction and Genetics - Greater Amberjack for developing a spawning induction protocol and a method for the collection of eggs from spawning breeders in sea cages.

The transport took 22 h from loading to unloading and fish recovered well after unloading, and hopefully will begin feeding promptly.

The fish were originally captured from the wild as juveniles (~500 g) by Asteras A.E. (the late Mr. Eustathios Lyssaris and his son Stefanos Lyssaris) in Astakos, Greece and were reared in sea cages for 2 years. They were then transferred to the facilities of Galaxidi Marine Farms in September 2013, where they were "hosted" until space became available at the facilities of HCMR.

Wreckfish sampling at the Finisterre AquariumThe wreckfish housed in the tank Nautilus of the Finisterrae Aquarium (IEO Vigo, Spain) have been sampled last week. The main objective of this sampling was to monitor the maturity state of the specimens (males and females) and to obtain growth data from their weight and size. There are a total of 24 specimens weighing between 30 and 15 kg. At this time of the year, some of the females are conspicuously mature and the males are also mature. The males usually have abundant sperm. The specimens are tagged with an electronic chip and with a Floyd tag with a color code, allowing easy identification. External marks are often lost because other fish sharing the tank find the tags very attractive and bite on them causing detachment or damage of the tags. A second mark is then provided but using electronic tagging.Individuals are identified and separated (by a net panel) for further evaluation of maturity stage by measuring the diameter of oocytes obtained by cannulation of the ovary. Depending on the oocyte diameter the females are placed in the separated tank or returned to the exposition tank if they are immature.

The meeting (Day 1 only) will be open to a number of scientists from outside the DIVERSIFY consortium, based on an invitation or application. The invited/accepted persons must be involved actively in the fish species and areas studied in DIVERSIFY, and will be required to make a short presentation of their experiences/projects.

The first experiments on the induction of ovulation in hatchery-produced Atlantic halibut were initiated on the 25 and 26 February 2014, at the Austevoll, Norway facilities of the Institute of Marine Research, as described in Task 5.2 of the project.

A group of 12 females of an average weight of 15 kg were biopsied and selected to be at the same stage of oogenesis. Fish had completed vitellogenesis and some were in early oocyte maturation, with oocytes with a diameter of >2 mm. All males were in full spermiating condition. The females were allocated randomly to three groups and were treated with one of two doses of GnRHa in a controlled-release delivery system (EVAc) or we sham implanted and were used as controls.

In the following days, females have been monitored daily for ovulation, and eggs were first collected after 5 days from treatment, and by 9 days after GnRHa treatment all females in the high GnRHa treatment entered a cycle of regular ovulations. Females in the lower GnRHa treatment did not ovulated yet, but their gonadal stage of development had advanced further. Females in the control group did not progress in development.